The only stumbling block so far...
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:21 pm
Friends of mine are renovating a house with an attached gardening business; they're doing all the work themselves and are astonishingly resilient to bad weather, midges, etc etc.
I was passing this afternoon and noticed one of them was struggling with a post that had been set in the ground - a big 8"x4" wooden thing. It wobbled quite badly but she couldn't get it out. Between us we struggled but couldn't budge the thing. I recalled from years ago, when I'd been doing some gardening work, the same thing: a post that wouldn't lift out, and couldn't be pushed over, but that a friend of mine simply pulled out with his quadbike.
'Hmmm', I thought, 'this looks like a job for a Landrover'.
So I walked back to the house, started the beast up and drove down. After getting into their drive (it's not difficult, I just can't get used to the mammoth turning circle of these vehicles), we hooked up some chain to the tow bar. I must confess I was somewhat blase about this task, so I left it in open high ratio first, crept forward to take up the slack, gently let out the clutch balanced with a slow increase in throttle... and spun the back wheels. So, we moved the chain on the post, I locked the diff, put the Landy in low ratio and tried again. And nothing - it just would not budge the post. The last tactic we applied involved a change of direction, and myself very slowly backing into the post with the tow bar - even that didn't move it.
So - the only task that the Landrover has so far failed in was one I thought would be the easiest. The only question that remains is: how far down is that post buried? Answers on the back of a postcard please...
Moral (if you really want one): sometimes the most innocuous tasks can cause complete failure.
I consoled the Landrover and entered the house a dejected man...
I was passing this afternoon and noticed one of them was struggling with a post that had been set in the ground - a big 8"x4" wooden thing. It wobbled quite badly but she couldn't get it out. Between us we struggled but couldn't budge the thing. I recalled from years ago, when I'd been doing some gardening work, the same thing: a post that wouldn't lift out, and couldn't be pushed over, but that a friend of mine simply pulled out with his quadbike.
'Hmmm', I thought, 'this looks like a job for a Landrover'.
So I walked back to the house, started the beast up and drove down. After getting into their drive (it's not difficult, I just can't get used to the mammoth turning circle of these vehicles), we hooked up some chain to the tow bar. I must confess I was somewhat blase about this task, so I left it in open high ratio first, crept forward to take up the slack, gently let out the clutch balanced with a slow increase in throttle... and spun the back wheels. So, we moved the chain on the post, I locked the diff, put the Landy in low ratio and tried again. And nothing - it just would not budge the post. The last tactic we applied involved a change of direction, and myself very slowly backing into the post with the tow bar - even that didn't move it.
So - the only task that the Landrover has so far failed in was one I thought would be the easiest. The only question that remains is: how far down is that post buried? Answers on the back of a postcard please...
Moral (if you really want one): sometimes the most innocuous tasks can cause complete failure.
I consoled the Landrover and entered the house a dejected man...